This Place is Wonderful but….
Luke 21:5-28
† I.H.S. †
May the grace of God
our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ strengthen your faith, and help you endure
until we get to our final destination.
Wow…. Look at all
this!
I think I understand the disciples, and their awe standing in the midst of the
Temple, the place they went, because God had put His name there.
When I walk around this place, there are memories and feelings that will always
come to mind. The disciples had to show Jesus the stonework and the memorials,
in awe of what God had done there, what He revealed here. And though this church is not as impressive
as Herod’s Temple, there are precious memories of God at work in His people
here.
Memories of tears shed together, memories of laughter, some memories that
combine the two in a twisted dance.
I cannot imagine Jesus walking with us here, and saying, “6 “The
time is coming when all these things will be completely demolished. Not one
stone will be left on top of another!”
I wouldn’t want to
hear it, I can’t imagine this altar rail here, or the baptismal font gone, or
even the pulpit I hide behind, as I play my guitar as we sing.
For just as the disciples looked at the Temple as the place, the place they
could meet God, so too I can’t but see faces, present and past, as they met God
in this place.
And so I understand their reaction of shock, as Jesus spoke… this place
will be completely demolished..
When is it coming? Uhm?
The disciples begin to recover from the words of Jesus, and then they make it
worse, they ask, when is this coming?
What do we look for?
I wonder if they want to make sure they aren’t there, or what?
You see, the temple had been looted and destroyed before. Because of sin, it
had been destroyed and abandoned. I
can’t imagine this happening to this place, but even so, there will be a day
when this place doesn’t matter anymore.
Jesus looks at them, and knowing their hearts, it must have broken His to
reveal what has to happen before the end comes..
Even so, He will answer them honestly and scare the heck out of them. He’s
going to tell them about false prophets, wars, earthquakes, famine, plagues,
terrifying moments, miracles, persecution, people charging you with false
crimes and dragging you into court, betrayal by family members, and just about
everyone hating you! All sorts of lovely things!
Sounds like a normal
week around here?
Seriously, all he is saying is between that time and the time when temples and
churches will have fulfilled their role, life is going to be rough, It is going to be impacted by the sins of
billions of people, those in the past, and those presently alive. Jesus tells the twelve that people will kill
“some” of us! Paul describes this as the earth groaning under as if in
childbirth!
In the midst of the list there are a number other things,
Did you catch the part about miraculous signs from heaven? Even more importantly, did you catch two very important words to hear…
DON”T PANIC!!!
In the midst of the grief, the pain, the anxiety as we hear about all these horrid things, and we see them happening, DON’T PANIC!
I don’t know about you, but when someone tells me there is nothing to panic over… I immediately look around to see what should cause me to panic! Heck, if certain people were to tell me that, I would assume that panic is and underestimation of how I should react!
Why should I panic if God reminds me that there will be a day when this place is not longer here? I can tell you why. I look around and see what God has done. I see the communion rail, and think of the kids that would not leave it, including a 50 year old named Chris, because this is where they experienced Jesus presence. I think about the back seat, back by the sound board and I think of Warren giving me a thumbs up, Or Mando, Or Clyde, or the two original Concordia Deacons who challenged me to find something in this room that would show the gospel…
Churches and Temples matter because they are places where we regularly found God’s presence, and therefore could rest and find peace In these sanctuaries, in these places that are holy, because we know we encountered God here.
And though we know better, the concept of change, and even loss threw the disciples into a panic!
In the midst of the brokenness – look up… your Salvation is near!
What we have to remember, what we have to know, is that
God isn’t tearing us away from what we love, to abandon us in the day of
judgement. We aren’t going to stand there, wondering if we are going to heaven
or hell. We don’t have to fear suffering His wrath, suffering and struggling
more with sin and doubt. The ark of the covenant won’t be needed, as Jeremiah
promised, neither will the font and the altar.
All these things are simply the shadows of the reality of Jesus.
That’s why he tells us “Don’t panic” and why angels say “don’t be afraid”,
“don’t be anxious”
Jesus tells them why, just as He tells us, . 27 Then everyone will see the Son of Man*
coming on a cloud with power and great glory. 28 So when all
these things begin to happen, stand and look up, for your salvation is near!”
It
is an interesting word, this word “salvation”. Not the usual word, but the word
for destruction – specifically the destruction of all the constrains us, all
that has bound us up, all that has stolen from us joy, all that has made life
challenging. Everything is redeemed and restored.
We may lose the shadow – but we never lose our Lord!
There is our hope..
Don’t panic, don’t fear, look up and see your Lord, coming to set you free,
And until then, He keeps you safe… no matter what, and yours is the peace of
God which passes all understanding.
AMEN!
Posted on November 18, 2019, in Sermons and tagged 2nd Coming, end of the church, End Times, hope, Sermon from Concordia. Bookmark the permalink. Leave a comment.
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